Roosevelt Montás’s Rescuing Socrates: How the Great Books Changed My Life and Why They Matter for a New Generation (2021) is both a defense of the Columbia University general education program and a memoir recounting his interactions with writers such as Plato, Aristotle, Freud, Descartes, and Gandhi. John McWhorter (2021) calls it “a combination memoir and call to arms.” While I appreciate Montás’s commitment to the importance of the humanities and its role within higher education in the United States, I find his argument deeply troubling.
Bravery in the Face of Anticipatory Obedience
Well, the election has come and gone, and its impact most certainly varies depending on where you are. On my campus, the reaction suggests that the outcome was not what
Constance C. Relihan
December 9, 2024
